We Know How This Works
by LadyPorpoise
Summary: Elladan knew this time dealing with the aftermath of a head injury is a lot easier than what happened centuries before. On the night they went back to the main house, Elladan remembers when Elrohir reacted to the apparent loss of his old life all those years ago. Prequel to Rockslide. Twin angst. Written since LadyLindariel was interested in reading it.


_A/N A small companion piece to Rockslide, a prequel of a sort, or at least showing a little what happened the first time around. Been a bit of a debate if I wanted to write this or maybe the scene where Glorfindel finds the sons of Elrond and brings them back. I daresay this piece came a lot easier than the other one. Plus, LadyLindariel wanted to read this; and I'm sure you MistressofImladris (perhaps Lydwina Marie too?) may want more twin angst with this theme. So, here it is._

* * *

Elladan could not sleep that night. Long after Elrohir had gone to rest he was still sitting on one of the couches, making sure the small hearth remained burning in the cold winter night. The older twin's eyes drifted towards his twin's alcove and his heart thumped a little harder for a moment. They had relocated back to the main house, and Elrohir had been extremely out of it the entire day. He did not seem to react much to anything, his eyes trailing to and fro from item to item. Elrohir basically remained on a couch petting his rabbit the entire day until he said he wanted to sleep.

Looking at his brother now, Elladan had to keep certain memories that were trying to surface at bay. With Elrohir having been out of it for the entire day, and general lack of any movement or sound…

Well, Elladan could not stop being reminded of the past.

* * *

 _Some centuries ago…_

Elladan's enthusiasm started to wane as he finished up another tale from the endless list of dramas Glorfindel and Erestor performed every now and then. "Before long they were running away from marmots, their loud voices having disturbed the rodent-mayor, forcing the animal to sic his kind on them to free themselves from the racket. The elves were never heard from again by elven or animal kind."

Elladan looked away from the paper he had brought and slowly looked at Elrohir. Elrohir's head rested back against the pillow that was placed there, and from under the blanket Elladan could see the faint but jerky leg movements. His left arm still hung uselessly inside the sling he had to have on, so it would not add to the troubles he had to deal with already.

Elladan's hand clenched a little as he tried very hard to refrain from letting any tears show. Those cursed, evil men…they robbed Elrohir of his life. "I do not know how they managed to pull it off," he said softly. Elladan's voice cracked a little and he had to clear his throat. "To bring a herd of marmots to the valley is not an easy feat…nor something anyone would even want to do. But they did it."

"Hnngg…" Elrohir moaned in acknowledgment, the best he could achieve when it came to communication.

Elladan had to refrain from sighing at the response.

It is what happens when one is in a coma for six months, and only a week ago Elrohir finally managed to surface from that darkness. The inactivity had done its part on Elrohir's body, what with his muscles tightening and becoming useless from not being used in the extensive way they had been for thousands of years. Elrond said his fëa had to regain control over the body again after being dormant for so long. Even without that aspect hindering things, the damage had already been done. Any strength that Elrohir could have retained was not there. Muscle memory, _use_ even…that was gone too.

Elrohir in nearly every sense of the word was trapped, except he was aware of it.

The younger twin seemed to understand what was said around him, even if he could not answer or keep up with it. The flat expression that had settled on his features from slack muscles (at least he got the strength back to keep his mouth from hanging open…) would change a little to confusion if he could not process the information being sent to his brain.

Elladan set aside the paper on the table he brought out to the balcony outside of their parent's room. Getting up from his seat he moved to the younger twin's side and held his free hand. "If you want me to, I could get them to herd the marmots again, so you could see." Elladan offered, mostly to keep himself in control as the realities kept pressing down on his soul. He thought he had already accepted them!

"Mmm," Elrohir's head flopped to the side as he tried to support it himself, which he failed miserably.

Elladan prevented the unnecessary strain by supporting his brother's head for him with his other hand. Elrohir's breath hitched for a moment as his lethargic eyes trailed off into space. Elladan frowned sadly and blinked back the tears, absent mindedly letting his thumb brush against Elrohir's face.

Eru above, why could it not have been _him_ to suffer this instead of Elrohir? He was the firstborn! It was his _job_ to protect his sister and younger twin. This-this whole mess made him feel like a failure.

"Why do I have to be the one to never suffer?" Elladan asked aloud to himself, knowing that Elrohir likely would not understand him. "Is it because I am never affected by misfortune done to me personally? It always has to be someone else to touch my heart...to affect me this way."

A slight breeze caught his attention and the older twin looked, noticing the grey clouds beginning to manifest in the sky. A light rain shower may be on the horizon.

Turning back to Elrohir, Elladan tapped his face to get his attention. "Brother?"

Elrohir's eyes slipped shut and his brows pressed together in discomfort. The blow to his head still bothered him it seemed, even if it had visibly healed months ago. There may be phantom pain, or it was only his body aching.

Elladan managed to get Elrohir to open his eyes again, and much to his joy, Elrohir looked at him. "The sky is cloudy, and I believe we will have rain," the older twin said slowly. "I am bringing you back inside."

Elrohir stared at Elladan as he moved a little. Something obviously did not sit well with Elrohir, for when Elladan started to secure the blanket around him before moving to lift Elrohir off the couch, the younger twin emitted a strangled sort of whine and tried as best he could to get away.

Elladan stood back at this, shocked by this reaction and now unsure of what to do. Elrohir's face went blank again, yet his breath remained a little fast and uneven, and looking deeper into his eyes turmoil could be found. Elladan ignored it, already feeling the air get colder and wetter, and knew there was not a lot of time before the first raindrop fell. Being more careful this time, he lifted Elrohir into his arms and proceeded to bring him to the bed.

Elrohir snapped out of it again, and uselessly he tried moving his legs to get free. He managed to move his head a little to face one direction as it hung over Elladan's arm. The distress was more apparent than ever as he emitted another sound in great effort to utter a word.

Elladan felt a mix of emotions in his heart as he observed this: grief was the obvious emotion, but fear and surprise were also thrown into the bowl. "Elrohir, you cannot stand yet, not even with our help…" he said in a pained tone. His composure finally started to fall apart.

"'o-owwwnnn!" Elrohir finally managed to utter, his voice broken and odd sounding from disuse.

Elladan granted that request soon enough as he got Elrohir on the bed. The younger twin seemed at peace once Elladan got him comfortable, and he quickly moved to grab the papers before the rain fell.

Elladan failed to see that Elrohir's distress was not yet over. It seemed like something finally clicked in his mind that something was wrong. Elrohir tried to sit up on his own, tried moving the arm that felt like a fake attachment to his shoulder…everything, and yet he was so _weak_.

Pathetic.

Broken.

The moment Elladan passed through the threshold again, Elrohir screamed at the top of his lungs.

Elladan never consciously realized he basically ran back to his brother and sitting on the bed scooped Elrohir back into his arms, Elrohir's face pressed into his chest. Elrohir sobbed something fierce, something Elladan could never recall hearing before, never in this way.

It sounded as if Elrohir had just seen everything and everyone he held near and dear be ripped cruelly from his hands: thrown and broken to the ground into tiny shards of glass. Irretrievable.

As much as Elladan did not want to see it, it was a harsh truth he too would have to face.

It would not be the same. Not anymore.

He heard the door open and he barely registered Celebrían standing there, parental panic written all over her face.

"What happened?" she asked anxiously and immediately came over to the bed.

"I-I don't know," Elladan said brokenly, tears streaming down his face.

"Give him to me." Celebrían demanded, and Elladan relinquished his hold. "Shhh, my beloved, everything will be alright…" She murmured with as much love and assurance a mother could muster in such a situation.

Elrohir wailed in a subdued noise despite the change of arms and moaned when Celebrían started brushing his hair as she rocked back and forth.

"A-ada, he-" Elladan shook.

"He knows and is coming," Celebrían reassured in a calm voice, even though her eyes glistened with tears as she kept muttering words of comfort, nuzzling her head against Elrohir's occasionally as with a small child.

Elladan stared at the sight with a mixture of anguish and some amount of disgust-mostly at himself for his ignorance. "W-why now? Everything has been peaceful and…why?"

"I think he knows," Celebrían sighed softly. Elrohir's sobs had turned into moans and whine at this point, his eyes scrunched up tight. "I think he finally figured it out…"

"Why today…?" Elladan asked in a small voice. "Why could it not be later?"

He got no answer, and to be fair, he did not want one. Elladan watched Celebrían comfort Elrohir with some detachment, not wanting to believe this was happening right before his eyes. Elrohir did not do this…would not do this…

Elrond, followed by Arwen, came to the bedroom. Arwen gasped and moved to her mother's side, while Elrond regarded the scene sadly. They both heard the scream, but the amount of emotion in the air had lessened considerably since then.

Celebrían glanced at her husband with a sad face. "He knows."

Elrond looked a little stricken and he appeared crestfallen. It was hard to believe that only a week ago all of them had been shedding tears of joy over Elrohir's wakening; now they were shedding tears of mourning.

Elladan stared at Elrond as the master-healer joined his family. "Ada, why? Why would this happen?" he asked a little harshly.

Elrond regarded his eldest sadly as his hand rested on Elrohir's shoulder, whom now had gone quiet. "I wish I could tell you something different, but I have seen it so many times among elves and men both. That feeling of loss cannot be avoided."

'No…' Elladan shook his head and glanced back to his twin. Elrohir laid passively in their mother's arms, his breaths calmer and deeper. He must have fallen asleep right there and then. Elladan found it harder to suppress that feeling of loss too, that there was no coming back from this. That change had been forced on them, and they could not do anything to change it.

The comforting hand that finally rested on his own shoulder broke the wall, and he fell over onto the bed and wept for Elrohir's loss too.

* * *

Elladan bit his lip as he stared at the glowing coals of a now dead fire. How things were back then compared to now was starkly different. Perhaps it was because both he and Elrohir were prepared; they knew how to cope with forced changes. First it started with the hillmen and the consequences that followed…then their mother sailing. Irreversible changes seemed to be a theme in their lives, it forced them to learn how to deal with it in a mature manner.

Elladan closed his eyes and bowed his head as he thought how the second time dealing with a head injury came around. It was something no one could have prevented, yet Elrohir, the self-sacrificing, he went back for him, even though they both were going to be buried alive shortly afterward.

'Why do I have to watch it all go on? Why can I not be the one who must bear most of the burden?' Elladan felt his eyes become a little moist and he whispered softly. "I am sorry I have failed you…"

The air became eerily silent for a good long while before a shaky voice filled the room. "D-dan…?"

Elladan leapt to his feet and went to Elrohir's alcove. Elrohir's rabbit had her body spread over the elf's face and eyes, and his hand rested on her back. Elladan had to smile at the sight, but he could not hide the slight tremor in his own voice. "I am here, brother."

Elrohir dragged out a sigh before murmuring a few words. "C-can't s-sleepp…"

"Do you need something to help you sleep?" Elladan offered.

Elrohir tried shaking his head as much as having rabbit on his head would allow.

Elladan simply waited, taking a seat in the one chair that no one had removed yet, back when Elrohir was…well, unaware.

"H-had 'dea…"

Elladan watched attentively.

"…m-marmots…c-came to mind." Elrohir moved a hand to move the bunny's back foot a little, revealing a tired eye. "…g-get a h-herd of r-rabbits…"

Elladan let one tear drop this time. "I think we could do that, brother."

* * *

 _A/N I have seen a documentary regarding comas and minimally unconscious states. While I don't remember the exact science of it, disuse of muscles eventually lead to tightening and that brings some discomfort (I have experienced that because I don't exercise enough), and I guess even longer disuse leads to a collapse of some sort, or in the case of coma the muscle memory just disappears, so relearning is involved. Even a ten day coma, that documentary shared, can cause a lot of havoc._

 _So...there's some medical science for ya :p And poking at the miracles Aragorn and Legolas perform by getting out of those states with relative ease._


End file.
